They disappeared in plain sight. Now Amanda Steele must find them before it’s too late.

In Detective Amanda Steele’s latest case, Bring Them Home, I wanted to explore Amanda from an even more personal perspective while delivering everything readers have come to expect from the series: a complex investigation, authentic police work, twists and turns, and plenty of suspense.

Amanda knows how to follow evidence and hunt a killer. But some cases don’t stay at work—and this one will test her in ways no previous investigation has.

She’d never been this terrified but she refused to let it show, to give her captors more power. As she was led out of the van with her parents, she stifled a cry. Ahead of her was an old farm, surrounded by fields. There was no one for miles around. No one to hear the screams that would inevitably come.

When a seemingly ordinary family goes missing in plain sight, Detective Amanda Steele is called in to find them before it’s too late. The only evidence left behind is the mother’s abandoned car in a mall parking lot—her phone and purse on the front seat. But why would anyone target a loving mother, a dedicated father and elementary schoolteacher, and a teenage girl?

Amanda and Trent speak with friends and family but can’t unearth any reason the family would disappear on their own. Their darker suspicion is confirmed when they find CCTV footage of the mother and daughter being bundled into an unmarked black van, driven away at speed. They are looking at an abduction.

Soon human remains are discovered in a field outside of town, and Amanda uncovers a lead that could blow the investigation wide open. If she’s right, this case is linked to a woman who went missing ten years ago—and closer still, to someone within the police department. But can Amanda and Trent put all the pieces together in time to stop a twisted killer before more lives are lost?

Start Reading Today!

Bring Them Home, Detective Amanda Steele Book 16, is available now in e-book, audiobook, and paperback.

And if you’re a Kindle Unlimited reader, you can read it FREE with your subscription.

Thank you to everyone who has followed Amanda’s journey and continues to welcome her into your reading lives. I can’t wait for you to discover what happens when this case hits closer to home than Amanda ever expected.

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Ask ten crime fiction readers what makes them stay up far too late reading “just one more chapter,” and you’ll probably get ten different answers. But after writing crime thrillers for years, I’ve discovered there are a few ingredients I keep coming back to.

Here are five things I believe every great crime thriller needs.

1. A Crime That Matters

A murder is never just a body on the page. Behind every victim is a life interrupted, people left searching for answers, and a detective determined to uncover the truth. If readers care about what’s been lost, they’ll be invested in every step of the investigation.

2. A Detective Who Has Something to Lose

The best detectives aren’t superheroes. They’re human. They carry the weight of their work, make mistakes, and sometimes pay a personal price for pursuing justice. Those personal stakes make every decision—and every danger—feel more real.

3. Twists You Don’t See Coming… But Make Perfect Sense

My favorite twist is the one that makes readers stop and think, Of course! The clues were there all along. Surprises should feel earned, not impossible.

4. Real Police Work

For me, authenticity matters. Investigations aren’t solved by lucky guesses. They’re built through interviews, evidence, forensic science, persistence, and teamwork. That’s why I spend so much time researching police procedure—because the details make the story more believable and the suspense more rewarding.

5. An Ending That Stays With You

Closing the case is satisfying, but the best endings linger long after the final page. Whether it’s an emotional moment, a shocking revelation, or a reminder of what justice truly costs, I want readers to finish the book thinking about it long after they’ve turned the last page.

Those are the elements I strive to bring to every novel I write, and they’re all at the heart of my newest Detective Amanda Steele thriller.

Bring Them Home releases August 27, and I can’t wait for you to experience Amanda’s latest journey.

When we think of detectives, we often picture the investigation—the evidence, the interviews, the pursuit of a suspect, and the satisfaction of bringing a killer to justice. But what we don't often see is what those investigations take from the people leading them.

Every difficult case leaves its mark.

Detectives spend long hours away from home, miss birthdays and family dinners, and carry the weight of tragedy long after the workday ends. They witness the darkest moments in people's lives, and while they're trained to remain professional, they're still human. Those experiences don't simply disappear when they walk through their front door.

That's something I've always wanted to capture in my Amanda Steele series. Amanda is dedicated to her badge and committed to giving victims a voice, but she's also a mother. She knows that every late night, every cancelled plan, and every dangerous investigation has an impact on the people waiting for her at home.

In Bring Them Home, that balance becomes more fragile than ever.

Without giving anything away, the case Amanda is investigating strikes far closer to home than she'd like. As the investigation unfolds, it forces her ten-year-old daughter to confront her dark past. Amanda is determined to shield her, but protecting the people she loves isn't always as simple as solving a crime.

For me, that's what makes a detective feel real. The badge may represent strength and justice, but beneath it is a person who worries, sacrifices, and sometimes questions whether they're asking too much of the people they love.

The personal stakes don't make Amanda any less determined. If anything, they strengthen her resolve. But they also remind her—and us—that justice often comes at a cost.

I hope that balance between the investigation and the emotional lives of the characters is one of the reasons readers continue to connect with Amanda Steele. It's certainly one of the reasons I love writing her.

Bring Them Home releases August 27.

When I started thinking about my next series, I knew two things: I wanted to stay in the world of crime fiction, and I wanted to create another strong female lead.

The challenge was finding a role that felt fresh.

Detectives, homicide investigators, and FBI agents have long been staples of crime fiction. I wanted to explore a more specialized corner of law enforcement—one that readers don't often see take center stage. That's when I discovered the fascinating world of FBI crisis negotiation.

The more I learned, the more I was captivated. Crisis negotiators rely on communication instead of force. They must build trust in impossible situations, read emotions under extreme pressure, and make life-or-death decisions with nothing more than their training, instincts, and words.

I knew I'd found my protagonist.

Creating Sandra Vos meant diving into extensive research on negotiation techniques, psychology, and real-world hostage situations. As with every book I write, authenticity mattered. But there was a balancing act.

One of the biggest challenges wasn't learning the material—it was deciding what not to include.

When you're fascinated by a subject, it's tempting to share everything you've discovered. But readers pick up a thriller for the story, not a textbook. My job was to weave that knowledge naturally into the action so the techniques felt authentic without slowing the pace or pulling readers out of the suspense.

I created a character who feels both believable and compelling—a negotiator whose greatest weapon isn't a firearm, but her ability to listen, understand, and persuade when every second counts.

Save Her Life introduced me to a whole new side of law enforcement, and writing Sandra Vos reminded me that sometimes the most gripping battles aren't fought with bullets—they're fought with words.

When I first met Detective Amanda Steele, she was at the lowest point of her life.

She was still reeling from the devastating loss of her husband and daughter in a fatal car crash. Every day was a battle against grief, and beneath it all was an overwhelming sense of survivor's guilt. She questioned why she was the one left behind and whether she deserved to move forward when the people she loved most no longer could.

She wasn't just solving murders—she was struggling to cope with her own loss.

As an author, you spend so much time with your characters that they begin to feel like old friends. Looking back at Amanda's journey, I'm amazed by how much she's grown. While I may have created her, she has surprised me more than once along the way.

In those early books, Amanda carried the weight of her loss into every investigation. She often threw herself into work because it was easier than facing the silence waiting for her at home. Solving cases gave her purpose, but healing wasn't something that happened overnight. Like so many people who experience profound loss, her journey was filled with setbacks as well as small victories.

Over the course of the Detective Amanda Steele series, readers have watched Amanda rebuild her life one step at a time. She's learned to trust again, to lean on the people who care about her, and to recognize that moving forward doesn't mean leaving the past behind. The love she has for her family remains part of who she is, but it no longer defines every moment of her life.

What I appreciate most about Amanda is that she hasn't become fearless. She's still human. She still carries emotional scars. She still questions herself. But those experiences have made her more compassionate, more determined, and even stronger when standing up for victims who no longer have a voice.

I think that's one of the reasons readers continue to connect with her. She's not perfect, and she never will be. She faces impossible situations, makes difficult decisions, and occasionally stumbles—but she always gets back up.

Watching Amanda evolve over the years has been one of the most rewarding parts of writing the Detective Amanda Steele series. Every case has challenged her professionally, but it's the quieter moments between investigations that have truly shaped the woman she's become.

As I continue writing her stories, I find myself just as eager as readers are to discover what comes next for her. Characters grow in unexpected ways, and Amanda has continually reminded me that healing isn't about forgetting the past. It's about finding the strength to keep living despite it.

If you've been with Amanda since The Little Grave, thank you for taking this journey with us. And if you haven't met her yet, you can explore the Detective Amanda Steele series and discover why so many readers have fallen in love with this determined homicide detective.

Continue Reading

If you'd like to learn more about Amanda Steele, here are a few places to start:

• Amanda Steele Series
• The Little Grave (Book 1)
• Dead Woman Walking (Latest Release)

The countdown is on—in only a matter of weeks, BRING THEM HOME, the sixteenth Detective Amanda Steele novel arrives!

I'm so excited to finally share this next investigation with you.

This time, Amanda Steele and Trent Stenson are called to investigate the disappearance of an entire family. The only clues are an abandoned car, unsettling surveillance footage, and a mystery that reaches far deeper than anyone expects. As Amanda races against time, every new lead uncovers more questions, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

If you love twist-filled crime thrillers, gripping police procedurals, and investigations that keep you guessing until the very last page, I think you're going to enjoy this latest Amanda Steele case.

If you haven't already, now is the perfect time to preorder your copy so it's ready for you on release day.

To everyone who has already preordered, thank you! Your support means more than I can say, and I'm so grateful to have you along for another Amanda Steele investigation.

Wishing you a thrill a word,

Carolyn

One of the things I love most about writing crime fiction is putting my detectives in situations where the investigation isn’t just another case—it becomes deeply personal.

That’s exactly what happens in Dead Woman Walking.

When realtor Christine Lane is found murdered in one of Woodbridge’s most affluent homes, Detective Amanda Steele is prepared to follow the evidence wherever it leads. It’s what she does best. But this time, the evidence points to someone she never expected.

Her own half-brother.

Amanda and her half-brother have never shared a close relationship. Their lives have taken different paths, and they carry plenty of unresolved history between them. Yet despite their distance, Amanda is convinced of one thing: he isn’t capable of murder.

The problem?

Being certain and proving it are two very different things.

As the investigation unfolds, Amanda uncovers a tangled web of secrets, betrayals, and revenge. Every new clue raises more questions than answers, and every suspect seems to have something to hide. The deeper she digs, the more dangerous the search for the truth becomes—not only for herself but for those closest to her.

I always strive to create investigations that feel authentic. Murder cases are rarely straightforward, and detectives don’t have the luxury of following their instincts alone. Every theory must be tested. Every piece of evidence must stand up to scrutiny. Even when Amanda believes someone is innocent, she can’t ignore the facts. That’s part of what makes her job—and her personal conflict in this novel—so compelling.

The title, Dead Woman Walking, hints that not everything is as it first appears. Readers can expect unexpected twists, shifting alliances, and plenty of moments that challenge what they think they know.

If you enjoy police procedurals with realistic investigations, complex characters, and suspense that keeps you turning pages late into the night, I hope you’ll enjoy Amanda Steele’s latest case.

e-book
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Audiobook
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Paperback
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One witness is dead.
A defense attorney has vanished.
And the truth is still buried.

I’m thrilled to finally share the cover for FATAL TESTIMONY, a newly revised and expanded prequel to the Detective Madison Knight series!

Before Madison Knight became the relentless detective readers know and love, she was a rookie cop determined to bring one of the most dangerous men she’d ever faced to justice: Russian Mafia boss Dimitre Petrov.

She succeeded.

Or so she thought.

When a witness is found dead and a defense attorney vanishes without a trace, Madison quickly realizes that putting Dimitre on trial may have been only the beginning. As she digs deeper, she uncovers a conspiracy that reaches far beyond the courtroom—and discovers that some people will do anything to keep the truth buried.

FATAL TESTIMONY is packed with murder, corruption, secrets, and the Russian Mafia, while offering readers a chance to see Madison at the very start of her career. Whether you’re new to the series or have been with Madison from the beginning, this story reveals a pivotal chapter in her journey.

Originally published as Life Sentence, this edition has been extensively revised and expanded with new chapters, additional scenes, enhanced investigative elements, and a stronger focus on Madison herself.

And now...

It’s time for the cover reveal.

Pre-order Fatal Testimony today!

​e-book: Amazon

One of the most important lessons woven throughout Nowhere to Hide is surprisingly simple:

What we avoid often gains power over us.

In the novel, characters face mysteries, secrets, and difficult truths. Some confront them head-on, while others try to ignore warning signs or postpone difficult decisions. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that avoiding a problem rarely makes it disappear. More often, it allows the problem to grow.

This isn’t just true in fiction. It’s true in everyday life.

The “Face It, Frame It, Fix It” Framework

When we encounter a challenge, whether it’s a conflict at work, a financial concern, a strained relationship, or a personal goal we’ve been putting off, we often feel overwhelmed. That’s where a simple three-step framework can help.

1. Face It

Acknowledge the problem honestly.

Many people spend more energy avoiding a problem than it would take to address it. The first step is simply naming what’s wrong.

Ask yourself:

• What am I avoiding right now?
• What conversation am I postponing?
• What decision am I refusing to make?

Clarity is powerful.

2. Frame It

Define the real issue.

Often, what appears to be the problem is only a symptom. Before taking action, step back and ask:

• What is the root cause?
• What factors are contributing to this situation?
• What part of this challenge is actually within my control?

The better you understand the problem, the more effective your solution will be.

3. Fix It

Take one small action.

Not ten actions. Not a complete life overhaul.

One action.

Make the phone call. Schedule the meeting. Create the budget. Send the email. Have the conversation.

Progress creates momentum.

A Practical Takeaway You Can Use Today

Take five minutes and identify one challenge you’ve been avoiding.

Write down:

1. The problem.
2. The root cause.
3. One action you can take within the next 24 hours.

That’s it.

You don’t need to solve everything today. You just need to stop hiding from the first step.

Going Deeper in Nowhere to Hide

While this framework can help in everyday life, Nowhere to Hide explores these ideas on a much deeper level through suspense, investigation, and character growth. The story examines what happens when secrets are protected, truths are ignored, and difficult realities can no longer stay hidden.

Sometimes the greatest danger isn’t what we’re facing.

It’s what we’re trying not to face.

If you’d like to see how these themes play out in a gripping mystery, you’ll find plenty to discover in Nowhere to Hide.